Midwest distilleries collaborating on new whiskey

In an unusual collaboration, four small Midwestern distilleries are teaming up to produce a joint whiskey called Four Kings Bourbon.

The distilleries are Few Spirits of Evanston, Journeyman Distilling of Three Oaks, Mich., Corsair Distillery of Nashville, Tenn., and Mississippi River Distilling of LeClaire, Iowa.

Each will contribute 30 gallons of liquid to the final blend, which will be featured at the upcoming WhiskeyFest slated for April 25 in Chicago (the event is sold out). It will also be available through the 31-store Binny's Beverage Depot chain and other retailers locally. The wholesale distributors will include Wirtz Beverage Illinois and Stoller Wine & Spirits, both based in metro Chicago. It will retail for about $50 a bottle, according to the Whiskey Wash blog.

Brett Pontoni, the spirits buyer at Binny's, helped broker the deal for Four Kings in a series of meetings with the principals. “The key was getting four companies who compete in the marketplace to come together,” Mr. Pontoni said in a statement. “But it was a breeze. Everybody saw the amazing opportunity to do something new. I told them we could sell as much as they felt they wanted to blend.”

Jason Griffin, the business manager for craft spirits at Wirtz, added that “this was a chance to do something completely outside the box for the common good of growing the presence of craft in the marketplace.” The four distilleries are planning a follow-up collaboration whiskey to be released next year. It doesn't have a name yet.

—H. Lee Murphy

Editor's note: This story has been updated. Four Kings will not be for sale at WhiskeyFest; tastes are part of the admission price.